Why Am I Not Getting A Clear Answer?

My Motorcycle

"Heavenly Father" I prayed "should I get a motorcycle?"

I uttered those exact words in prayer a little more than a year ago now.

For many many years I had wanted a motorcycle and the plan had always been to get one after I got home off my mission. At the time I was recently returned from my mission and was conveniently in need of transportation. I was very excited; my dear mother was significantly less so.

Mom approached me a few times with perfectly valid concerns about safety, finances, and the like to convince me out of getting a motorcycle. I took her concerns seriously and made all the preparations to be as safe as possible, as well as putting my finances in order so that I wouldn't be sacrificing educational opportunities, but I had my heart set on getting a motorcycle and she wasn't about to convince me out of it.

Well, my mom, after some time and seeing how set I was on purchasing a motorcycle, issued her ultimatum: pray about it.

I wasn't too worried about asking God if I should get a motorcycle. After all, I had made solid preparations and I expected Him to give me the thumbs up, or at least that familiar answer of "It's up to you" which He gives us sometimes to help us learn to make our own choices. And so I went to my room and I prayed "Heavenly Father should I get a motorcycle?"

What happened next still surprises me to this day.

100% blank. Like this slate.

I blanked. Completely 100% blank. I could not remember what I had just asked for. I couldn't remember why I was praying. The only way I even knew I was praying was because I was kneeling down next to my bed, but I literally could not recall why I was there.

I didn't know what to do and so I just kept praying. Thanking God for things and asking for help and blessings about other things in my life as if this was any other prayer. After about 20 seconds I remembered, all at once, that I had asked about getting a motorcycle. I had experienced the truest form of a "stupor of thought" that I can possibly imagine.

I stood up from that prayer somewhat disappointed, but confident that I knew the will of God for me and I was ready to move forward in a different direction more pleasing to Him.

Now please understand, I have nothing against motorcycles at all. In fact, I still hope to get one sometime in the future. But for me, at that time, I was not supposed to get one. I didn't know at the time, but there were blessings that eventually followed. One of which was that after car hunting for months afterward I eventually found an amazing deal on a great car that I would have not been able to afford had I purchased a motorcycle.

Questions and Answers

I share that experience because we often hear of the "burning of the bosom" experiences, but significantly less often, though equally as valid, are our experiences of a stupor of thought.

You must study it out in your mind; 

then you must ask me if it be right, 

and if it is right I will cause that 

your bosom shall burn within you... 

But if it be not right you shall have 

no such feelings, but you shall have a 

stupor of thought.

(D&C 9:8-9)

By a raise of hands, who feels like every single time they ask God about something they get an answer right away and it's blatantly obvious what they need to do? Now put your hand down if you're just being sarcastic or being funny. That's what I thought.

We all struggle with this! We all have a hard time figuring out exactly what we're supposed to do sometimes. We pray for answers and we don't feel like they're forthcoming. We feel like God's holding out on us and not being clear with exactly what we need to do or the choices we make. Gosh I sure know I've felt like that before. In some ways I feel like that right now!

Why am I not getting a clear answer?

It might be a few things. 

1) You might be getting an answer, but not recognizing it.
2) You might not be asking the right question.

3) It may not matter.

4) God may want you to do your best and just go in a direction. He will guide you if you start heading down a wrong path.
5) Sin or worldly distractions might be preventing you from receiving spiritual communication.

Most people think that their problem is the first one listed. That God's giving them answers, but they're not interpreting God's answers the right way. But I think you'll be surprised to learn that the issues 2-4 are actually much more common. Keep these in mind, we'll be referencing them later. If you're not getting an answer because of reason #5 then repent. Any questions? Good, moving on.

Agency

Wouldn't it be nice if every time you came to a decision than God would send you a text detailing what you're supposed to do? That'd be great! No more wondering if what you're doing is right or not. No more doubt, no more fear, no more mistakes! How could you foul up if it was so clearly given to you in minute detail? Hey, even better than that, what if God just forced everyone to do the right things? That's gonna be the best for anyone anyways right?? 

Oh wait. That's Satan's plan. 

See how that happened though? It all starts with wanting to be told what to do in every situation. That's not God's plan for us. We're here to learn, to grow, to be independent, to become like God. That won't happen if He has to tell us what to do every minute of every day. 

I'm not lazy! I'm gonna do something amazing...
starting tomorrow...

Does this sound familiar? "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward."

If God commanded in all things that'd be like your dad following you around all day every day telling you every single little thing to do: "Wake up. Get up. Kneel down. Pray. Here's what to say... Stand up. Walk to the closet. Get dressed. Here's what to wear. Walk to the bathroom. Brush your teeth." We don't expect our earthly fathers to do that. They teach us what to do when we're young, but as we grow older we get more independent and we can do more things on our own. It's the same thing spiritually between us and God.

Alright, well if God is not going to command in all things then what do we do?

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."

God may want you to do your best and just go in a direction. He will guide you if you start heading down a wrong path.

Look at the trust God has given us! "The power is in them." The knowledge to act, the ability to act, the opportunity to act as independent agents of our Heavenly Father! It's more power, and more responsibility. It's instructive that it says "inasmuch as men do good," it doesn't say that we have a sacred foreordination in every single situation we might encounter, it just says we are to do "good." I firmly believe that I was foreordained to do certain tasks on this earth and I believe that at certain moments then God will step in and guide me to those responsibilities. But I also believe that much of my "destiny" is up to me! More on that later though.

Don't let the fact that you're not getting clear answers paralyze you. God has issued this warning in that same block of scriptures:

"He that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned."(D&C 58:26-29)

Wow. That's harsh. But it's a fair warning to those of us who look for constant direction in our lives, but then when we do receive direction we doubt and second guess guess ourselves, finally following it halfheartedly. 

Understand that I'm not saying we should stop praying and just traipse along our merry way wielding our agency willy-nilly. We should always be praying and involving God in our decisions. But if you don't feel like you're getting specific direction then just use your best judgement and plow ahead! You did your part, pray, ask, fast if necessary, seek for your answer, but then move! Do something! (Just keep this paragraph in mind for the remainder of this post so I don't have to keep inserting it in other places. I'll call this my *reminder paragraph* to remind us that prayer really is important.)

If God has a specific path for us to follow and we are personally doing our all to seek His guidance then he will send us answers in a way that we can understand. The fear of misinterpreting an answer is simply not putting faith in the fact that God is your Father and He knows how to communicate with you.

Careers and Relationships

Two of the most prayed about topics for young adults. And two really important decisions! Your career influences your quality of mortal life, and your spouse influences the quality of your mortal and eternal life. Lets talk career first cause I have less to say about that topic.

Careers

Once you die your career becomes almost entirely obsolete. Seriously. Mull that over for a second. The idea of a "career" is purely mortal. "Work" and "responsibility" are eternal, but our careers here on earth are purely mortal experiences.

Why do we have careers? There are three reasons: to provide for ourselves and our families, to influence others for good, and to learn eternal principles of teamwork, diligence, leadership, etc. in a variety of settings.

There are perhaps a few of us who are "destined" to be in one career path or another, but I think that what we chose to do for a living is largely up to us. What makes us happy? What gives us satisfaction? What will help us best fulfill the three purposes of a career? 

I know a number of people who have struggled, or are currently struggling, to find their "destined career path." They are praying and are frustrated because they feel like they are not receiving an answer. Maybe they are asking the wrong question when they pray.

They might be praying and saying something like "show me what path to take" or "is being a doctor what you would like me to do with my life?" This assumes that God has already decided what they should be doing and doesn't give them any "power" to act as "agents unto themselves." Perhaps God is withholding an answer because there is no "one-right-way" to go in this situation. 

They might instead say "I am seriously considering becoming a pediatrician. Will this make me happy and capable to provide for my family? Is this what I should be doing to have the greatest impact for good on others?" A lot of what we chose to do is really up to us! That's kind of scary, but very empowering as well!

*Reminder paragraph*

Relationships

Obviously this is a topic which is prayed about an awful lot. You might be searching for someone and are praying for direction. You might be in a relationship currently and are seeking guidance on whether to start being more serious or not. You might be ready to get engaged (or already engaged) and are pleading with the Lord to stop you quick if this isn't what you're supposed to be doing.

The issue here is the idea of a soul-mate. Not the actuality of a soul mate, but the idea of a soul mate. I'll explain in a minute. First, I'd like to quote from a talk given by President Uchtdorf:

I know this may be a disappointment for some of you, but I don't believe there is only one right person for you. I think I fell in love with my wife, Harriet, from the first moment I saw her. Nevertheless, had she decided to marry someone else, I believe I would have met and fallen in love with someone else. I am eternally grateful that this didn't happen, but I don't believe she was my one chance at happiness in this life, nor was I hers. (Emphasis added)

There are many other quotes from general authorities about selecting an eternal partner (click here to read more). I want to remind all of us that although soul mates aren't predestined for us, they can be created.

"… Once you commit to being married, your spouse becomes your soul mate, and it is your duty and responsibility to work every day to keep it that way" (“The Reflection in the Water” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Nov. 1, 2009]).

So now let me explain myself on the difference of the actuality of a soul mate and the idea of a soul mate.

I think it's fairly clear to all of us that, as President Spencer W. Kimball said, "‘Soul mates’ are fiction and an illusion." I don't think anyone's arguing with him on that point. There are two parts to that quote though. Fiction, being that they do not exist, and illusion, being that they are something that we are seeking for. This is the problem. We don't believe in soul mates, but we keep looking for them.

Let me see if I can provide some real life scenarios I have seen (names have been changed) to help us learn about the relationship between prayer and choosing an eternal spouse.

Scenarios
1) Tyson is interested in a few different girls and decides to pray and ask God which of them he should pursue more seriously. He doesn't get an answer and so he wallows in indecision, waiting for God to tell him which girl is "right" for him.

2) Lauren has been dating a boy for a while and has been praying quite a bit about the relationship. She feels no answer, or at best that she should just be patient. She decides to break up because she hasn't gotten a "yes" answer.

3) Sharon gets engaged to be married. Soon after the engagement however, she notices that her soon-to-be husband was acting differently than he had when they were dating and was now showing signs of deeper character flaws that weren't visible before. She dives into prayer and after praying for strength and direction she breaks off the engagement.

4) Josh has been dating a woman for some time and has prayed many times about their relationship. He feels like he has received a confirming answer about moving forward, but when he approaches the woman he has been dating she says she has received the opposite answer and wants to break things off.

Each of these scenarios are different and each is unique. I would love, one day, to do a post on dating and courtship and all of that fun stuff, but for my purposes today I'll stay focused simply on getting answers to prayers about relationships.

Let's look at our scenarios.

Analysis
Scenario 1) I think the issue here is obvious. This poor boy is assuming that there is one right girl for him (the "idea" of a soul mate) and so he expects the very clear answer of "yes" or "no" for each girl individually. By not receiving a clear answer he is confused and begins to think that perhaps he really is receiving an answer, but that he's not interpreting it properly.

I know we've all done this before. So here's my recommendation (and I say my recommendation because every situation and every person is different): He should pick the girl that fits these three categories the best: 1) Edifies him spiritually. 2) Connects with him emotionally. 3) Attracts him physically. In that order. Then pick a girl and go for it! Chances are it won't get very far anyways!

(Yes, yes, of course there are more qualities to look for in a future spouse, but if you start with those traits and go from there it'll give you a good foundation on which to base your dating relationships.)

He might be worried that by pursuing one girl he will break friendships or loose the opportunity to date the others. This is an absolutely valid concern! It's very likely that will happen! But I believe in a God that gives second chances and has our exaltation as His first priority. Don't let an absence of an answer paralyze you! It probably just means that God trusts you enough to let you make your own decisions. The decision of your eternal companion is a decision that YOU will live with for the rest of eternity (that's the goal at least). God already has His eternal spouse. He's here to help you out with picking yours, but ultimately it's up to you.

Here's a warning for us to not try and force God to give us an answer when He has chosen to not direct us:

“We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation. Revelation from God is a sacred reality, but like other sacred things, it must be cherished and used properly so that a great strength does not become a disabling weakness” Dallin H. Oaks

Scenario 2) This one is a little more tricky, but it goes along the same lines. Lauren is praying and asking God if he is "the right one." She's probably not going to get an answer to that question. Maybe she should ask "can he make me happy eternally" or "will he be a good provider for our family" or "help us to have meaningful deep conversations so that I can discern what kind of man he truly is." I really like that last one.

You can't just throw this decision at God and expect Him to make all your choices for you. That's like a kid going up to his parents with a bowl of chocolate ice cream and saying "Is this the right ice cream for me?" The parent's probably thinking "Well I've got vanilla and strawberry ice cream in the fridge, but it's whatever you want." If we keep putting off love now for what might be waiting around the corner we'll be forever waiting. In that same vein though, don't "settle" or lower your standards for someone just cause they're the "here and now." Have realistic expectations, but don't lower them cause you're worried you won't ever get another chance at love.

In this specific case I can support what she did. It's not the right thing to do in every situation like this, but perhaps by her creating some distance they'll both be able to more objectively assess their feelings. In the end, either they'll get back together with more commitment to the relationship then before, or they'll recover and find someone else. That's the reality of dating: you either get married or you break up.

Scenario 3) This is a different situation entirely. Sharon knew what she wanted, she sees now that the man she thought she was dating was a facade and the man underneath was someone who lived beneath her personal standards and beliefs. She prayed for strength to break off an engagement and she got it. Not that it wasn't incredibly difficult, but she made that decision for herself.

Of course no one is perfect and that will include your spouse. Many things can be overlooked, but there are some "deal breakers" for all of us. Learn to compromise, "don't sweat the small stuff.," but also don't compromise on the truly important "stuff."

Scenario 4) Oh man this is a awkward one. I have a hard time seeing God give the "yes" to one person and the "no" to another. Perhaps Josh got an answer of "yes, she can make you happy for eternity" and she got the "it's up to you" answer. Perhaps he got a "yes, you are ready for this and if she is your choice then so be it" and she got a "no, because you're not ready for this personally, but maybe one day."

A comment from a recent reader added the fact that there is a possibility that although she was right for him, he might not have been right for her. She may have fulfilled his marital needs, but he may not have fulfilled hers. This, then, is an example of God giving an honest answer to each person and although they sound contradictory at first glance, in reality it's simply God showing us that He has more insight into the human heart than we do.

It is also possible that because of the highly emotional connection to the situation that the signals are getting mixed, or perhaps Josh was putting "pressure" on God to sanction his decision. Remember Joseph Smith and the first 116 translated pages of the Book of Mormon. He asked God if he could turn them over to Martin Harris for a time to show his family and friends what he was working on. God said no. After pressure from Martin, Joseph asked again and again until the Lord said, in effect, "Fine. Let him take them. But he'd better be careful with them!" We all know what happened. The pages were lost and were not re-translated.

Sometimes because of our incessant nagging God gives us the "thumbs up" to go ahead and make our own foolish choices. He does this because He knows we will learn from it and perhaps next time we will just follow His counsel the first time we get it.

In this situation just remember what President Uchtdorf said: "I think I fell in love with my wife, Harriet, from the first moment I saw her. Nevertheless, had she decided to marry someone else, I believe I would have met and fallen in love with someone else. I am eternally grateful that this didn't happen, but I don't believe she was my one chance at happiness in this life, nor was I hers."

Careers and Relationships
Certainly there are many more things that we pray about other than these two topics. Children, circumstances, weather, lottery numbers (jk), etc. But I hope by providing just a few examples of these situations in which we might not receive an answer that we can apply these principles into our lives in other areas.

Conclusion
If you feel like you're not receiving an answer to a question you've been diligently praying about then try these steps:
- Repent and remove distractions so that you can be ready to receive an answer if God's trying to send you one.
- Make sure you've studied out the issue and are well informed of what you're asking.
- Be sure that you're asking the right question.
- If you're still not getting anything, it means that it's up to you. Pick something and run with it.
- Keep praying and follow direction when you get it.

God loves us and wants to help us. Yes, life is hard and confusing, but it's also wonderful, beautiful and full of happiness! Enjoy the journey, smile, and be decisive.

Keep Pushing On

Andrew

Strength Such As Is Not Known Among Men

How To: Become the Hulk. (Less painful and more effective than uncontrolled gamma radiation.)

And this is good, cause I'm kind of a smaller guy. No it's cool, I can admit it. ;)

I'm about 5'8" and I'm not exactly what you would call "ripped" or "stacked," but I've got some friends who are. They're like those super beefy guys that you look at and just think "Do you like live at the gym or something?" And they do.

(This post is the second part of a recent emphasis on finding more energy, motivation, and strength in our lives. The first part can be found here.)

Fortunately for me, I found a commandment and blessing that will put me ahead in the strength game! Unfortunately, it requires much more commitment than even the dedication of my friends at the gym.

"And at all times, and in all places, 

he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men."

(D&C 24:12)

Israel, Israel, God is Calling
While pondering the phrase phrase "at all times, and in all places" I was reminded of a talk given by Elder Holland at a CES fireside entitled Israel, Israel, God is Calling. It is one of my very favorite talks and I've watched it a number of times. In it he says "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in,” not just some of the time, in a few places, or when our team has a big lead."

The Kingdom of God does not have a big lead in the game of life right now. As far as the world goes we're pretty far behind. That's what we knew was gonna happen though. It was always prophesied that in the last days that the true followers of God would be few in number. In fact, we don't get the upper hand until the Second Coming.

So it won't be easy then. At all times, both day and night, and in all places to open your mouth and declare the Lord's gospel with the sound of a trump. ... Kinda sounds like a full-time missionary on steroids. I can see the future missionaries of the church in the MTC getting trained: "Alright here's your trumpet and your tracts, why don't you take that street corner over there and blow that thing day and night till you either get arrested or pass out. ... In the likely event you pass out take this chain to secure your trumpet to your person so you don't lose it when you keel over. Just start blowing again once you gain consciousness. We'll put this IV in your arm for all your dietary and hydration needs... The ONLY reason you can take your lips off that trumpet is to pray and to baptize..."

To Trumpet Or Not To Trumpet
Ok, but seriously, lets talk about this trumpet thing. In medieval ages the trumpet was used slightly differently than we use it today. Secularly it was used by trained servants to announce the beginning of something, usually the king was about to speak so everybody had to hush up. But in the Lord's kingdom they used trumpets a little differently. Guess who got the trumpets? Yeah, the priests. That's it. Isn't that cool to anyone else??

God has applied to the church universally, to you and I, something that was reserved for the priests of old. No longer will is the preaching of the gospel restricted to the elite few. But it's for all of us! I think that's pretty cool. It's also quite a responsibility though.

Now the word "trump" is actually a little different than "trumpet." Trumpet means the actual physical instrument used to make sound. Trump is the sound a trumpet makes. Did we all get that? So we're not actually carrying around a trumpet, we just have to make trumpet noises with our mouths. Haha now that would be funny. But that's not it either.

To explain "declaring the gospel with the voice of a trump" I'll use an analogy. Imagine you're playing hide-and-seak. One of the guys you're playing with has an air-horn. Everyone scatters to hide. Air-horn boy also hides, but lets off a loud blast on his air-horn every 5 seconds or so from where he's hiding. Who's gonna get found first? Uh, duh, the dude with the airhorn.

Now air-horns are loud and obnoxious. The gospel is not. Don't take this the wrong way, the gospel of Jesus Christ is certainly not to be hidden or suppressed. But it's a message of comfort and light. Not something to be thrown in other people's faces. As you proclaim the gospel it shouldn't be used as justification to put yourself above others or to judge them while throwing the gospel in their faces. We need to be sensitive and tactful about sharing the gospel. But again! Don't hide it. Which brings me to my next point.

How bout most of the time and at most places?
Nope. Fail. This scripture specifically states "at all times and in all places." We should be acting as representatives of Jesus Christ always. At school, at work, on Pinterest, in Snapchats, on Tinder, etc. How would you feel if it popped up on our notifications that Christ had started following your Pinterest boards, or that every snapchat you sent to anyone would also go to Him? Might make you rethink a few things wouldn't it? I know it'd sure make me more careful about how I represented Him on social media.

It's kind of disappointing to me when I see good people loosening their standards on social media. A number of times I've been talking about a girl to my mom or my siblings, a girl whom I've been really impressed with and would like to get to know better, and they ask to see a picture. I pull up Facebook and go to their profile and scroll through a few profile pics to show whomever I'm talking to about this awesome girl. But then I hit pictures that, how shall I say it, do not exactly "declare the gospel with the sound of a trump," more like they declare that this girl's standards are "flexible."

That's very disappointing. And slightly embarrassing.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not frowning on personal expression or showing your personality. But both of those can be beautifully shown while still maintaining gospel standards.

Follow the Spirit
Much of the way we declare the gospel will be through example and through genuine kindness. But more often than not we avoid talking about the gospel to coworkers and friends. Just a few days ago I met a young man (about 28) who had gone from growing up atheist to being baptized into the LDS church when he was 25. It was because a friend, who had been his friend for years, finally opened his mouth and invited him to hear about the "Mormon church."

If you want more scriptures on "opening your mouths" just check out D&C 33. There's tons! Here's a favorite:

"Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old."

(D&C 33:8)

That's a pretty cool promise! I can't think of many people I'd like to emulate more than Nephi.

So, in short, just open your mouths. Give it a shot. Now onto the part where we get super ripped.

Strength
Strength such as is not known among men. Either that's a promise that I can become the calmer version of the Hulk, or there's something more than just physical strength at play here. But lets stay with physical strength for a little longer here cause physicality is such a BIG deal in the world in which we live!

We tend to define and categorize people based on physical attributes. I might say a girl's cute, or we might say she "has a sweet spirit." Isn't that twisted of us?! Our society has turned so much that the way in which we describe someone who is "undesirable" is that they have a "sweet spirit"?? That should be the greatest of compliments! Instead we use it almost confidentially, between friends, to say (in the nicest way possible) that someone is really unattractive/socially backward. I've been guilty of saying it too. But should we not turn that phrase around so that it truly is a compliment rather than a thinly veiled insult?

Also, while I'm getting things off my chest, I wish to speak of another person in my life. He is now in his early teen years. He's very tall and very large for his age. He gets a lot of flack from his peers for being “fat.” Lucky he's good-natured and manages to turn most situations into positive ones. But here's the thing. He runs several miles a day, bikes around 40 miles a week, actually eats very healthy, and he and I are participating in a triathlon this weekend (update, he beat my time in the triathlon). However, people continue to judge him. I can see the judgement when people look at him. I can hear in their heads "Oh, he needs to exercise." "Oh, he probably eats junk all the time." "Oh, he probably plays video games all day." It makes me seethe. He eats better and exercises more than most of those critics. We judge out of ignorance.

Whew. Glad that's over, now back to the scripture.

"And at all times, and in all places, 

he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men."

(D&C 24:12)

Allow me to share from my life two people who have exemplified opening their mouths and declaring the gospel with the sound of a trump both day and night, and have reaped the blessings of this scripture.

Sister Hall
I love to sing. I have had the special opportunity to be a part of the BYU Men's Chorus. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. Sister Rosalind Hall, director of BYU Men's Chorus, is one of the most vibrant, energetic, invigorating, and motivated people I know. She also declares the gospel in everything she does.

Sister Hall had a favorite little lesson she liked to talk to the men of Men's Chorus about. She would tell us how she used to believe she only had so much energy to expend in one day. That she had to ration her energy expenditure because at a certain point she would "run out" of energy for the day and just be all lethargic for the remainder of the day. At some point, I can't remember exactly how this epiphany came to her, but she realized that this concept of "limited energy" was completely false. From that time forward she put 100% of her energy towards everything she did! I don't know many people that can keep up that kind of energy output!

She truly has been given "strength such as is not known among men," and I know why! She is constantly bearing her testimony through song and passion to the men of Men's Chorus. She constantly emphasises to the men the theme of Men's Chorus which is, in lattin, "Esse quam videri." "To be and not to seem." She absolutely lives her life in such a way in which she declares the gospel with the sound of a trump (or occasionally through the voices of 180 men). I look up to her as an example as one who has been granted amazing strength through her fulfillment of this divine call.

President Mecham
I served my mission in the Micronesian Islands, spending much of my time on the island of Pohnpei and a few months on the island of Guam. I learned the Pohnpeian language fluently which has been very useful as I am constantly running into Pohnpeian people in Utah. (That's a joke, though I have gone out of my way to meet a couple of them here). It was an amazing mission, everything from the people, to the climate, to the food. It will always be a second home to me there. I hope I'll be able to speak more about it as this blog progresses.

My mission president for the majority of my mission was President Mecham. I have never met anyone with more excitement and drive for missionary with than him. Right from day one he was inspired with a vision of what the mission could become someday and he worked toward that goal with more zeal and tenacity than I have ever seen, before or since.

His energy was electrifying! It motivated and drove the whole mission! And when the missionaries caught the fire he had then they passed it down into the members. Into every branch and every home. I know we don't usually talk about numbers, and I won't mention any specifics, but under President Mecham's direction the overall teaching and baptizing numbers doubled, then tripled, then quadrupled. It was like we just couldn't be stopped!

President Mecham was bestowed with a type of strength that I haven't found among men. The kind of righteous enthusiastic fire that spreads to all whom come in contact with it. It was humbling to be able to serve with him and watch his strength. And guess where he got it. Yep, from his strict obedience to the call to "at all times, and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night."

Conclusion
If you wish to have more strength, more confidence, more energy, the answer does not lie in self-help books or in attending motivational seminars (though they certainly may be helpful). The answer is simply to share the gospel. Do that through example, service, posting something uplifting online, standing up for what's right even when you might stand alone, simply being a representative of Christ in all situations. I know I've felt that warm rush of light wash through my body when I've took a stand, or served someone unexpectedly. It's not as hard or scary as you might think. :) Give it a try, lend a hand.

May you all find the strength that you need and the opportunities you deserve.

Keep pushing on.

Andrew

Invigorating Energy! (All natural, and approved by God)

Energy!
Watching the World Cup has been a blast. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the finesse and talent of these players (matched only by their considerable skill at "flopping," which is feigning or over-exaggerating injury to get the referee to call the ball in your favor).

It's especially amazing to watch them run and run and run for hours on end, averaging 6.4 miles per game! And that's not just casual jogging, that's an aggressive sprint/stop type run that's particularly exhausting.

I have had the desire lately to have more energy in my life. More vibrancy and vigor! Most days it feels like I'm barely pulling through. The only think keeping me going is knowing that I can crash into my bed at the end of the day.

*That's pretty sad when your motivation during the day is thinking of when you can next sleep!*

Sleep Tight, Sleep Right
So, as has become my habit when I'm looking for some specific blessing in my life, I turned to the blessings found in the D&C. And sure enough, I found a couple wonderful scriptures to help me with having more energy in my life! Here's the first one. (Sadly enough it's not in my list of C&B! I don't know how I missed it, but when I update the current version I'll be sure to add it, along with a few others I've found since.)

"Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary;

arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

(D&C 88:124)

Me. Every morning.

This does not need a lot of explanation. The benefits of sleep as cataloged by health professionals are numerous. But really what could be better than this promise from the Lord?

Go to sleep early and don't sleep in = no weariness and a body and mind that's invigorated!

That's a pretty great promise! I have a problem though. I'm a chronic night owl.

Like most teenagers and young adults I have a propensity to stay up till the wee hours of the morning, catch a few hours of sleep, and then drag my sluggish excuse of a body to work the next morning. Only to repeat the process every weekday, growing more and more lethargic and "out of it" as the week goes on. But then the luscious weekend hits. *sigh*

Staying up even later than usual, sleeping in till past lunch time, this is the weekend schedule of many people. Too many people.

The Lord promises us that if we go to sleep early and get up early then we'll be invigorated both in body and mind. The opposite must also be true then. Going to bed late and then sleeping in to "get enough" sleep will leaving us feeling considerably less than invigorated, and very weary! 

Too much sleep can leave us just as "weary" as not enough sleep. So be careful about sleeping in. It's certainly nice to catch an extra hour or so some mornings, and our body needs it! But moderation in all things is the key.

Everyone is different, I find my perfect sleep time to be from 10:30pm to 7:00am. That's optimal for me. But sleep cycles are different for everyone. Find what works for you and stick with it! Speaking of "sleep cycles" let's talk about naps. Cause most of us are doing it wrong.

The Perfect Nap
Naps are also very nice and can come at very timely moments during the day. Our bodies have sleep cycles though. I'll try to sum up the basics of a sleep cycle. In essence, while we sleep we have times where we are in "deep sleep" and times when we are in our "lighter" phases of sleep. If we are woken up when we are in deep sleep we will feel extremely sluggish and it will take us up to 30 minutes to fully "wake up" and be back to full capacity. If we wake up while in "light sleep" we will wake feeling energized and attentive almost immediately.

Click here to see full image.

So guess how long the "perfect nap" should be. 10-20 minutes. That's it! You will make a complete rotation from light sleep to deep sleep and back to light sleep sometime within 20 minutes. Now guess the next best length of a nap. One and a half hours. Did you catch that? So after that first 20 minutes the next time our bodies naturally cycle to deep sleep and back to light sleep takes that full 1.5 hours.

Let me interpret this information just a little for you. If you take a nap lasting 30-45 minutes then there's a good chance you'll wake up feeling more tired than you did when before your nap! If you need a quick "power nap" then set an alarm for 23 minutes (at least that's what I do cause it takes me around 3-5 minutes to fall asleep). When the alarm goes off then you'll wake feeling refreshed and restored!

If you're having serious trouble with feeling exhausted on a particular day then set an alarm for an hour and a half (if you have the time if course) and this "extended power nap" will give you the stamina to work hard and efficiently for the rest of the day.

"Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary;

arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

(D&C 88:124)

It'll take time to get into a good sleep schedule, especially if you don't keep a good sleep schedule now! Work up to it. You can't be going to bed at 1:00am every night then suddenly switch to 9:30pm and expect everything to go smoothly. Just little steps at a time. Be smart, turn off cell phones and put computers away, don't fall asleep watching a movie. You may be accustomed to that, but I promise you that your sleep quality will improve if you don't.

Oh yeah, and eat well too.
Time for the second scripture! I bet you can guess what it is. It concerns the Word of Wisdom.

And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel 

shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

(D&C 89:18-21)

I bet you didn't read all of that. Let me sum up the blessings of the Word of Wisdom for you.

- Health in your navel and marrow to your bones.
- You shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.
- You shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
- The destroying angel shall pass by you, and not slay you.

Those are some very applicable and "mortal" blessings for us that we can count on here on earth. I'd love to share some more detailed thoughts on the Word of Wisdom someday. But I'll just share a few thoughts in bullet points for your own study.

- There are more verses telling us what we should eat and drink than there are telling us what shouldn't. I think that tells us where God's emphasis is. Is that where our emphasis is?


- The list of "do's" and "do not's" is relatively short and doesn't come close to naming all of the harmful substances or helpful substances available in this modern age. Why?

- Some sins are more serious than others. Is breaking the Word of Wisdom more serious or less serious than breaking the law of chastity? In raising our children which commandment gets emphasized more? (I'm not saying the emphasis on the Word of Wisdom is wrong in any way, but lets make sure the rising generation gets just as much emphasis on the Law of Chastity. Just because it's a little/lot more awkward to talk about doesn't mean we should avoid it. It does constitute, after all, the more serious sins.)

Those are just a few thoughts about the Word of Wisdom, but let's look at the blessings shall we?

Blessings of The Word of Wisdom: Health, Knowledge, Stamina, Life

Health in your navel and marrow to your bones. Navel basically makes reference to your belly-button. Oh yay! How exciting... Okay, there's not a lot of excitement connected to your belly button. Everyone has one and no one knows what to do with it after birth. But lets role with that.

Many people just associate "navel" with our organs in general, which I think is true and very applicable! However, I think we can go deeper than that.

I know, I know. You can't actually see his bellybutton.
He was just too cute to pass up.

 The bellybutton we all possess is a scar, a reminder of our complete and utter dependence on our mothers. It is through that "navel" that our bodies obtained every particle of nutrients for the first 9 months or so of our lives. Blood, nutrients, oxygen and other essentials were passed from the mothers body to ours.

I find the "navel" symbolic on many levels. One is our complete dependence on God in the pre-mortal life. We lived with Him and we learned from Him. Satin and his followers separated themselves from God "prematurely" and rebelliously. They didn't want to follow His plan for us. They, like a fetus separated from its mother, will no longer grow spiritually. We, on the other hand, followed Gods plan. Currently we are separated from Him in this mortal life. Our umbilical cord has been severed in a way and we must find ways to grow and sustain ourselves both physically and spiritually in this world, all while being buffeted by temptations and trials of every kind.

"Health in the navel" could then mean that we receive all of the nutrients that we stand in need of, both physically and spiritually, to maximize our growth towards our potential. Not that we will have perfect health, but that we will have everything which we stand in need of. Physically and spiritually.

Bone marrow is contained on the inside of the larger bones of your body and basically creates all the individual components of blood. "Bone marrow contains cells that produce white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets." (Google) In the Bible Dictionary it has a very interesting definition of blood. "Regarded by the ancient Israelites and many cultures today as the seat of life or vital energy of all flesh. The atoning power of a sacrifice was in the blood because the blood was regarded as essential to life." (emphasis added)

Did you catch that? Blood is regarded as "the seat of life or vital energy of all flesh." Perhaps marrow to your bones can mean simply that you will have energy and vibrancy! That's exactly what I want! (And who doesn't really?)

Knowledge: I wrote another blog post on finding hidden treasures of knowledge. You're welcome to read that post for my thoughts on finding "hidden" knowledge. I have a few more thoughts, but I don't want to wax too long-winded in this post. (It's gotten pretty long already!)

Stamina
Link the promise of "run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint" to Mosiah 4:27 "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."

This changes "run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint" from being simply a physical
blessing (which it most certainly is!) to a promise of help to endure the trials of life.

I know sometimes I feel like I'm "running" in my life. I have a thousand things to do and a thousand more to do afterwards. This promises me that I will not be weary. Maybe physically weary from a taxing day, but that I will be lifted up spiritually and emotionally during those busy times.

And then there are other times. Times when I feel like I can barely keep "walking" in my life. Times in which I am depressed or disheartened, heartbroken or distraught; burdened by life. Those are times in which I want to "faint." When I want to give up. When I want nothing more than to crumble down and sink into oblivion. But there, like a ray of hope, is the promise from God: "walk, and not faint." It doesn't say walk and life will be a breeze. But it does promise that I will be able to walk! To keep moving forward! To lift up my head and say that my God is with me and I will not faint.

Life
Eventually we will all be "taken home to that God who gave them life" (Alma 40:11). The promise that "the destroying angel shall pass by you, and not slay you" is an interesting one. I would be open to hearing anyone's interpretation of that particular passage, but here are my thoughts. When the destroying angel is mentioned in scripture it is as a direct result of sin. The people refuse to repent and so God sends the destroying angel to wreak havoc until they are humble enough to repent and turn back to God. The righteous, however, are spared the destruction that is dished out on the rest of the people.

We all know that in the last days that there are many plagues, tempests, wars, etc. that will arise. My personal thought is that by following the Word of Wisdom we will be spared from some specific types of destruction that will come upon all people in these last days.

We still live in the world and so we will be exposed to many things that we would rather not be exposed to. Remember that the Israelites were not affected by the first three plagues, but then they were exposed to the 4th through the 9th plagues; they weren't protected from everything. The last plague though, there was a specific requirement given. Even the most righteous of Israel had to mark their doorways in a specific way with specific blood to have the destroying angel pass by them.

This, for us, is the Word of Wisdom. This is how we "mark our doorway" for the Lord. I don't know when, or how this destroying angel is poised to strike in these last days (in scripture he sometimes he comes overnight and sometimes over a much longer period of time), but he will come, and by obeying the Word of Wisdom we will be passed over.

Conclusion
Well, we've talked about everything from getting adequate sleep to the destroying angel. In recap, by getting quality sleep and obeying the Word of Wisdom: we will be invigorated and healthy in body and in spirit, we will be lifted up to endure the trials of life, we will find knowledge hidden from the world, and our lives will be spared. There's a lot of good stuff there.

As always, there are lots of changes we all need to make. But I would suggest to not try to change everything in your life all at once. It's a big step to change already formed habits, and you're much more likely to succeed making a plan and taking it in bite-sized chunks.

Koht en ketiket rehmwail. (God be with you all.)

Keep pushing on.

Andrew


PS. Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I'm trying to do at least one a week, but sometimes time gets away from me. I'm really excited about my next post though, so hopefully it doesn't take me as long to write!